Live Free or Die Trying
by Miles Nitro Wolfe
Summary: I'm not sure how I got involved with the serial murder case here in Inaba. Last thing I knew, I was sitting in class back home in New Jersey. Now I'm living alone in Inaba, solving cases like a Private Eye, with a beautiful girl and really good friends by my side. Not sure how life could get better. BEING REWRITTEN
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is a new story I'm writing and I am determined to finish this. I recently got hooked on the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona series, and I fell in love with Persona 4. I'm generally not too keen on the idea of OC's, but this idea that's been swirling around in my head just won't quit nagging at me. So I'm gonna put it to paper, and see what becomes of it. **

**The main pairings are as follows: OCxRise, Yu/Yukiko, Yosuke/Chie, Kanji/Naoto, and an eventual Teddie/Nanako.**

**As far as I can picture, only this chapter will be told from a first-person perspective, and that'll be from the OC, Brian Walker. While I will be shamelessly inserting both true and fabricated facets of myself into the plot of Persona 4, this is not my name. Anyhow, I'm going to leave this disclaimer here, and then it'll be on with the story.**

**Bold text will indicate a shadow/Persona speaking, while Italicized text with an apostrophe will indicate inner thoughts. Italicized text with quotation marks will indicate whispering. Simple enough, right?**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona franchise. All rights belong to the respective owners of said Intellectual Property.**_

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_**Monday, November 21, 2011**_

"Who… Who are you?! Why am I here?!" I hollered out in pain. The dull thumping in my head had now become a searing fire desperately attempting to escape from every pore on my body. I wanted to collapse, but the shackles wrapped around my wrists that dangled my body above the cold stone floor prevented that. Another heat wave, another scream. My vision was becoming blurry, and I tried to keep myself from closing my eyes. I knew that would only make things worse. I tried to focus on the figure in front of me.

Dark auburn hair, sickly yellow eyes, fair skin. His outfit seemed similar – then it hit me. Whoever this was, it was pretty much a carbon copy of myself. Save for the yellow eyes, of course. His mouth was moving, but due to the pain coursing through my body, I couldn't understand a word of what he was saying. All I knew was his voice was very distorted – modulated, even. Then, I could hear everything clear as day. The cling-clang of the chains and shackles, the footsteps on the stone floor, and the voice became clearer.

"**You know, I thought Jersey was the shits. Then I hit Inaba… Man, did I ever get fucked over! At least I had places to entertain me there… Inaba, the place with absolutely nothing to do… I'd thought this would've been a fresh start for a guy like me! A guy who had no real friends back home, coming to the boonies where everyone knows each other. There should've been at least two or three friendly faces willing to welcome me out here! But instead, everyone just greeted me and then turned a blind eye to all I did! No one could be bothered with the weird-looking kid… It was all the same as before!"** He started laughing maniacally. Coupled with the searing pain in my head, it was really getting on my nerves.

"That doesn't answer my question! Just who the hell are you?! And where am I?! Let me go!" I must've sounded like a total crybaby, or something equally as weak because he started laughing again. That laugh...

"**Who am I? I'm you, dumbass. Every single part of you that you shut away has been manifested in me. Who am I? I'm not only you, I'm your worst friggin' nightmare!"**

At this point, I finally noticed the eight others in the room with us. All friends of each other, and all except that one stuffed bear mascot I'd seen hanging around Junes went to Yasoinaba High. I had opened my mouth to speak when I had been cut off.

"Don't say it, Brian-kun! Whatever you do, don't say those three words!" The one with short, light brown hair hollered out. I think her name was Chie, but I can't really remember.

"No, he needs this. Brian, what were you about to say?!" A guy with a silver bowl-like haircut looked directly at me. Wasn't his name Yu or something? He looked like he was expecting something, just like the rest of them. I had no time to focus on the group that had evaded my notice for what seemed like weeks of torture. I shifted my view to my imposter, and closed my eyes. The words spilled forth like white-hot magma from my mouth.

"You… You're not me!" Then, everything went black.

When my eyes began to open, my head was leaning on something warm and smooth. I could barely make out the voices speaking around me, and my vision was blurry. I could see everyone from before, except for the girl with the twin ponytails. I assumed she was the one that had my head cradled.

"…-ing to!" Chie's voice. I'd be able to recognize it anywhere.

"He's awake?" I didn't recognize that one. I felt something warm hit my cheek.

"Oh, thank goodness! You're awake!" That voice came from directly above me. The girl who was holding my head. Another drop on my cheek. Tears. She leaned down and attempted to hug me, but it was more like she leaned in closer. I don't think she could bend that way. I finally felt okay enough to sit up, and I pushed myself to my feet. I looked around me, and everyone had these real genuine looks on their faces. Warm smiles, and all that. I winced, and Yu and that girl who was holding my head wrapped my arms around their shoulders to keep me from falling again. I turned slowly to face my copy.

"You all… saved me?" A nod and another smile from everyone in the group. My copy still had a blank look on its face. "Thanks. I mean it." I removed my arms from their supports, and stumbled towards my shadow. I looked it in the eyes before letting out a deep sigh. "All this time, I tried to keep those parts of me hidden from the people around me. I thought that if I were to show weakness around here, I'd get bullied and pushed around like I did back at my old home. So instead of trying to make new friends, I created a prison to keep myself locked away from the pain of rejection… And all I really did was push everyone who wanted to be my friend and get to know me away. Whether I like it or not, you _are_ me, and I am you."

**The courage of heart to face oneself has been made manifest.**

Something big floated over my shoulders. It wore a blue cloak with red trimming, and had a hunched back. It had no feet, just white legs with golden, ridged tips. Its head was covered in the cloak, but had a white mask where its eyes should've been, and a hinged jaw. It had a floating cape that was attached to its shoulders by chains and looked like the tops of coffins. A large belt sat around its waist with a large, circular, golden belt buckle. I looked at it, and as I saw the beings behind the group, I somehow knew what I was looking at.

"So this is…my Persona. Thanatos." I was amazed that I had such power hidden within myself. Everyone was looking at me with the same amazement. I felt all of my strength leave me, and I crumpled into a heap on the ground as the others rushed to my side.

Next thing I knew, I was sitting on the floor in the electronics department of Junes. I was lifted up by Yu and that girl who had been holding me up earlier. Then she spoke, and her voice was like music to my ears. I couldn't tell why.

"Yu and I will get Brian-kun home. We should all meet up once you've recovered. You're one of us now!" She smiled at me and gave me a peace sign with her fingers – God, she was beautiful – I told them where my house was, and much to their surprise, my place was next to Yu's. Against my better judgment, I told the two that I lived alone, and we immediately changed course. The girl, Rise, said that I'd be staying with her for the time being. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but considering my current state of being and lack of anything important at my dwelling, I just nodded and we made our way to the tofu shop in the south side of the shopping district. We made it there slowly, and the two laid me down in a futon. I guess it was pretty late.

I lied there, with my eyes closed, and I heard the door slide open. A light emanating from a candle being held by someone bathed the room in a soft glow. Then she spoke.

"You know, I was curious about you from the moment I noticed you at Yasoinaba High a month ago. That's when you transferred, yeah?" I nodded to her. I would've spoken, but my throat was sore, and I figured my response would suffice. Just to make it clearer, I pointed to my throat. "Oh! One second, Brian-kun." She ran out of the room, and I heard the faint sound of water running. Then, just as quick as she left, she came back with a glass of water. I sat up, and she tilted the glass toward my lips. I took it from her and knocked it back slowly, sip by sip. She started to talk again. "I always wondered what you sounded like, since you never spoke, you know? You seemed like you would've fit in with myself and the others… We're a ragtag bunch, don'tcha think?" I nodded. She giggled before continuing on. " My name is Rise, by the way. Rise Kujikawa. It's very nice to meet you!" I nodded again, not feeling the strength to speak. "It wasn't just me that was curious either. All the others were too. We tried talking to you, but every time we went to look for you, it was like you vanished. We all felt really bad, myself especially." She blushed and looked away.

"Why was that?" I managed to croak something out. It probably sounded lame, but I was honestly curious. These few had taken a genuine interest in me and had extended the olive branch, so to speak. "Why did you feel bad?"

She looked back at me. "I felt bad, because you were just like the rest of us. All of us had been through hell in the TV world, and even though you hadn't been in it when we took an interest in you, you just looked like you needed a friend. Someone to lean on. A shoulder to cry on, you know?" She gave me that same warm smile again, and I felt something hot pooling in my eyelids. I wiped my eyes, and she noticed. She got up from where she had just been sitting and hugged me. The tears began flowing, and for the first time in over ten years, I cried. And I cried hard, too. Her bathrobe must've been soaked by the time I was done. I felt ashamed.

"I'm sorry about that," I stammered out. She just tilted her head, and I thought she looked adorable. "I'm sorry about getting your bathrobe all wet."

"Oh, that's not a problem at all, Brian-kun. Listen, it's getting pretty late. I think we should turn in for the night, ok?" I nodded, and laid back down. She knelt down and kissed my forehead before walking out of the room and blowing out the candle. The room was pitch black, but there was no mistaking the heat on my cheeks at that very moment.

* * *

_**Tuesday, November 22, 2011**_

I woke up feeling the greatest I had in a long while. I heard the door slide open, and the light from the hallway seeped into the room. Rise stepped into the room and saw me lightly hopping on my feet. She gasped and dropped a few loaded clothes hangers on the floor. I looked over at her. "Mornin' Rise-chan! Hope you don't mind, I'm just going through a few morning exercises." I looked at the hangers, and noticed my clothes on them. "Ah, I'm guessing you gave Yu my keys to get me some spare clothes?"

She giggled and said, "That I did, Brian-kun. But I thought you'd be feeling weak for a few more days…the rest of us were laid out in bed for weeks at a time. I'm just surprised to see you so active already."

I had begun undressing, trying to change into the clothes Rise had brought me when I heard another gasp, and then a giggle, and I blushed, realizing that Rise was still in the room, and I was shirtless. And she was staring at my chest. "Uh, Rise-chan? Mind not staring at me while I change?" I stuttered a little bit. She nodded and left the room. I changed into my uniform, and walked out of the room.

I bumped into Rise, but caught her before she could hit the ground. She blushed, and I blushed. We both looked away from each other. It was getting awkward, so I said the first thing that came to my mind. "Rise-chan, we have got to stop meeting like this!" I gave her a grin, and chuckled. We both broke out laughing, and began making our way out of the apartment on top of the tofu shop. Before we reached the stairs to exit, I spun her around and wrapped her in a hug. "Thank you, Rise-chan. It means a lot to me, what you've done. The others, too. Thank you, so much." She just hugged me back and gave me that same damn smile that I was started to get addicted to.

"Anything for a friend, Brian-kun!" And then she did something that surprised me. She kissed me on the cheek. "And even more for someone closer than a friend." She giggled and my jaw hit the floor. I was gonna need a cold shower by the time I made it home tonight.

As Rise and I were walking up to the school gates, I saw the rest of the group of people who had saved me from that prison inside the TV. She ran up to them, and I followed her at my own, more sedate, pace. I reached the group, and they all looked at me funny. I feared the worst before hearing two words I'd never heard before come out of their mouths: "GROUP HUG!"

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**I hope you guys enjoyed this. Just for your information, if you were wondering, yes, my OC's Persona is Thanatos from Persona 3. Please don't spoil anything on that game for me, as I haven't finished it yet. Thanatos is just so damn badass that I couldn't help but use it. My OC will not be overpowered, He'll be just as strong as everyone else is. His non-Persona weapon will be a double-sided scythe. Think Darth Maul's lightsaber, but sharp, and steel, and sickle shaped, as opposed to a lightsaber.**

**Please read and review, it helps me to grow as a writer. I appreciate any and all constructive criticism, but any rude comments will be ignored, as if you can find something to complain about and bash me for it, then this story is not for you. Thanks again!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'd just like to take the time to say something really quick; I'm really enjoying where this story is going. I can't promise regular updates, however. I'm a very busy full-time student, and part-timer for the time being, so I'd like to apologize in advance. If you don't see an update from me in a little while, please don't hold it against me, I'm working as diligently as I can.**

**Also, as a general note, I've decided to continue writing from my OC's perspective. It just makes things easier on me. Sorry if that isn't your cup of tea.**

**vincent the vizard: If you'd like, shoot me a pm with your weapon idea. I'm not saying I'll use it for sure, because I don't have any plans for another OC in the story, but I don't want seem rude. I'll take it under consideration.**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona franchise. All rights belong to the respective owners of said Intellectual Property.**_

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_**Tuesday, November 22, 2011**_

As Rise and I were walking up to the school gates, I saw the rest of the group of people who had saved me from that prison inside the TV. She ran up to them, and I followed her at my own, more sedate, pace. I reached the group, and they all looked at me funny. I feared the worst before hearing two words I'd never heard before come out of their mouths: "GROUP HUG!"

As I felt my lungs struggling to collect the air I so desperately wanted, I got a sudden rush of the stuff as everyone stepped away ever so slightly. It had taken me about 20 seconds to realize that Rise had hugged me the closest, pressing my arm in between her chest. I blushed slightly but managed to shake it off as I looked at them. I brushed my hand through my hair and realized I hadn't brushed it this morning. It surely looked messy, and I didn't have my usual beanie to cover it up. I looked down for a split second before facing them again and saying the only thing that could come to mind – "Uh, thanks for everything. You know, with last night and all." Swing and a miss.

Yu and another boy about his height but with odd, fluffy, brown hair wrapped their arms around my shoulders and looked at me. The fluffy one pointed at me and grinned, as Yu said, "Not a problem."

The other one said in a hushed voice so only our little group could hear, "Us Persona users gotta stick together, you know? I'm Yosuke Hanamura, by the way. Nice to meet ya!" I grinned back and nodded in response. He pointed to Rise. "You already know Yu, and Rise-chan over there," He leaned in close to my ear. "_She's taken quite the shine to you, you know?"_ I felt my face flush, and he regained his normal composure. "Next to Rise-chan is Chie-chan, then Yukiko-chan. Next to her is Kanji, and next to him is Naoto-kun. We don't have much more time for introductions, so how about we all meet on the roof during lunch?" He looked at Yu, and he nodded. He looked to the group, and they all did the same. He looked at me next. I gulped.

"Sounds like fun." I nodded and pounded the fist Yosuke had extended to me. Rise latched onto my arm, and we walked into Yasogami High.

I sat down cross-legged on the corner of the air vent. I closed my eyes and took in a breath. Slowly, I exhaled and opened my eyes. Everyone was standing around where I was sitting. "Hey, everyone." I waved, and they all waved back.

Yu looked at everyone and nodded. He started to talk. "I'm Yu Narukami, from Kyoto. I'm staying here for the remainder of the year while my parents are in South Korea on business. Its nice to meet you, Brian." I nodded, and my attention was shifted as the girl with long black hair, and was currently cuddled up to him spoke next.

"I'm Yukiko Amagi, and I'm also Yu's girlfriend," They both smiled at each other before she continued. "I'm the heiress to the Amagi Inn, and I'm pleased to meet you, Brian-kun!" I smiled and nodded to her as well.

Yosuke put his arm around Chie and said, "I'm Yosuke Hanamura, Prince of Junes!" Everyone laughed, myself included. His introduction was just flat out ridiculous. "And this here is my girlfriend, Chie Satonaka." Said girlfriend kicked him in the shin before speaking next.

"Don't mind this goofball. Nice to meet ya, Brian-kun!" Yosuke put his arm back around her shoulders, and she cuddled in closer. They may have fought like an old married couple, but they looked good together. My eyes shifted focus to the other side of the group, where a tall, tattooed teen stood.

"Name's Kanji Tatsumi. Its nice to meet you, Senpai." He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand awkwardly. He looked down at the person standing in front of him and said, "Oh, yeah. 'n this's my girlfriend Naoto." Said girl blushed and looked embarrassed for a second before speaking.

"I'm Naoto Shirogane. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Senpai." I looked dead center from where I was sitting at Rise. She gave me that same dazzling smile that had haunted my dreams last night, before speaking.

"And I'm Rise Kujikawa, your new girlfriend!" Everyone face faulted at that, myself included. When we all got back up, Rise giggled and sidled up to me. She continued, "Just kidding Senpai. Or was I?" She wiggled her eyebrows at me, before skipping back to where she was standing a minute ago.

All eyes were on me. I knew it would eventually become my turn, but that didn't mean I was ready to tell my story. Guess it couldn't hurt. They had all opened up to me, after all. I sighed. "Nice to meet everyone. Uh, I'm Brian Walker, and I'm from a large town in New Jersey. Everyone hated me there, and my parents saw fit to remove me from their household, even though I'm one of their own," I grabbed at my left arm with my right hand, unconsciously rubbing it up and down. "They, uh, they packed my bags, and sent me to what they thought was the most backwater part of Japan, seeing as they thought I couldn't speak Japanese," Even after years of not using it conversationally, my Japanese was still in top form. Damn I'm good. "Anyways, I'm glad I landed here. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have met all of you. And for the record, I owe each of you my life. Thanks again, you know, for last night and all." They all nodded, and the warning bell sounded. Yu decided to speak again.

"It's a pleasure to have you on the team, Brian. Before we go back to class, what do you say after school, we all round up Teddie and then head over to the hospital to visit Nanako-chan? I'm sure she'd love to meet you, Brian." Everyone agreed, and I just nodded my head. Seemed as though I still needed to meet two more people. I stood up and fell in line with the team, and Rise clutched my arm between her breasts again. I couldn't tell if she was flirting with me for no reason, but I was starting to enjoy myself.

We reached Junes, and Yosuke brought a real-girly looking boy with him out of the back of the building, into the food court. He spoke quickly, and almost unintelligibly. "Hiya, Brian! Glad to see you're feeling better! I made you these, because you're one of us now!" He handed me a green pair of glasses that had thin rectangular lenses. I took them and put them on. Of all people to say something, it had to be Rise. She sidled up to me again.

"Ooh, Senpai. You look _really_ good with those glasses on." She winked at me, and I chuckled nervously as everyone but Teddie groaned. I swear I heard Yosuke tell us to get room, but I also swear I heard him get another kick from Chie. Justice was sweet.

I felt gutsy at the moment, and so I put my arm around Rise and pulled her close. All or nothing, right? She blushed as I said, " Thanks, Rise-chan!" I gave her a wink for good measure, and I'm pretty sure she melted on the spot. "And thank you, Teddie, for the snazzy glasses! I really feel like one of the team now." It was at this time Yu decided to speak up, so I put my glasses in a pocket inside my uniform's jacket.

"We should probably head to the bus stop now. It'll be there soon, and we gotta go check out how Nanako-chan is doing." Concise and to the point, but we all made it to the bus stop just in time. Everyone paired off, except for Teddie, who sat next to an older woman dressed in black. He proceeded to chat her ear off the entire way to the hospital. Meanwhile, Rise just put her head on my shoulder and cuddled up to me. I put my head back and closed my eyes. Before I knew it, we had arrived at the hospital.

* * *

We all huddled around Nanako's bed, and I had never been so stricken with grief in my life. The fact that this little girl, this angel had been nearly killed all because of someone's selfish desires to murder other human beings was just sickening to me. I had never properly met Nanako-chan before, but I just couldn't this sort of thing go unpunished. If I was to be a part of this team now, I would shoulder whatever came our way just to punish those who hurt this pure-hearted little girl. Then her eyes opened. "B-big b-b-bro?"

"I'm here Nanako. Big bro's here. And I brought everyone with me, even a new friend. We'll introduce you to him once you get better, ok?" To see Yu showing this much emotion was something different.

"Okay, big bro…" He ruffled her hair, and she closed her eyes again, falling asleep. I stormed out of the room –as quietly as possible, mind you - not paying attention to the others. As soon as I reached the ground floor, I walked as quickly as possible to the front door. Once I exited the hospital, I broke into a full-on sprint.

I ran all the way to Junes, and caught my breath. I bought myself a bottle of water and headed to the electronics department. I checked my surroundings – no one had noticed me. I dove head first into the TV, and rolled as I hit the ground.

I noticed I was now carrying a double-sided scythe. I sighed. "Somehow this place knew I had created a weapon like this back home. Strange." I opened the bottle of water and took a few swigs of it. The ice-cold liquid hit the back of my throat with a sharp sensation. I attached the top of it to my belt, and it thudded against my leg as I ran in the direction that seemed to call out to me.

I stood in front of what should've been the doorway to my own personal hell. Thanks to the others, I had overcome my other self, and freed myself from my self-imposed isolation. But while I was loathing everything around me, a sweet little girl was put in the hospital, and everyone else was being strong for her. Meanwhile I was still running from my problems, it seems. And yet, for the moment, I was strangely okay with that. I stepped forward into the black and red swirl.

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_**30 minutes ago (3**__**rd**__** person perspective)**_

Brian had just walked out of the room. No one had noticed anyone moving until the door had shut. Rise was the first one to swivel her head around to where the door was, and saw nothing. She looked around for him, and not seeing anything, voiced her concern. "Hey, senpai? Where'd Brian-kun go? He was standing next to me just a minute ago."

Yu looked up at this, and spoke. "Maybe he just needed some fresh air. This room is a bit heavy-hearted, you know? He doesn't know Nanako-chan like we do. Maybe he felt awkward. She's fast asleep now though, so let's go take a look for him. What do you say?" Rise nodded along with everyone else as Yu whispered something into Yukiko's ear. She nodded at what he said and said, "Why don't we go see where he could've gone? If he's not just outside, we should check outside."

Everyone was chatting lightly as Yu fell into step with Rise and walked outside just behind the group. He stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder and spinning her around to face him. "Rise-chan, what's wrong? You can talk to me about anything, you know."

She looked down before answering him. "I don't know, Senpai. I know I used to flirt around with everyone before you all paired off, but that was just me having fun. I never meant anything harmful by it. But with Brian-kun, it's different. I feel all warm and fuzzy when I'm next to him, when I'm interacting with him. He makes me happy! He may be a little rough around the edges, but I can tell he's got a good heart, and I just want him to acknowledge me. I don't know what I'm feeling, but when he's not by my side, I do feel kind of empty… Weird, don't you think, Senpai?"

Yu just wrapped her in a hug, which she quickly returned. "Rise-chan, that's completely normal. You have strong feelings for him, and I think you two make a cute couple," Rise began to blush at this. "However, we need to find this knucklehead who'll eventually be yours." Yu winked at Rise and gave her a reassuring grin.

Heels could be heard clacking against the cold, linoleum floor of the hospital as Yukiko returned to the waiting area outside of Nanako's room. "Its just as you thought, Yu. Brian-kun left the hospital. Only problem is that we can't figure out where he's gone, and a bus hasn't come since we arrived. There's one coming in about 5 minutes. I think we should head back and try to find him." Rise had a look of shock on her face as she rushed down the stairs and out of the hospital to the bus stop. Yu and Yukiko calmly followed her, and found the young ex-Idol tapping her foot impatiently against the sidewalk waiting for the bus.

* * *

_**15 minutes later (3**__**rd**__** person perspective)**_

Everyone had met up in the Junes food court at the usual table. Yosuke started the conversation off shakily. "You guys find him? I checked the Northern sect of the Shopping District. Aiya, the Shrine, he wasn't there."

Chie chimed in. "I checked the Southern sect. No trace of him. Its like he disappeared again…"

Rise looked up with a look of horror on her face. "You guys don't think he's in the TV world all alone, do you?" They all looked at her, and the group shared one collective thought. 'He's in there, isn't he?'

* * *

_**Present time (3**__**rd**__** person perspective)**_

The group ran to the center platform where they had found Brian hung by his wrists from the ceiling. That's where they found him again, only this time they saw him fighting off wave after wave of shadows, while his Persona, Thanatos watched from the sidelines.

"He's torn to shreds, how is he still fighting? And how long has he been going for?" Chie's jaw hit the floor.

"What's giving him the energy to keep going?! He looks beyond tired, and yet he still fights! What gives?!" Kanji's jaw was the next to hang from its original position.

"Hey partner, it looks like he's gotten all fired up after seeing what Nanako-chan looked like in her bed…" Yosuke shared a look with Yu.

"Yeah… Seems like it."

* * *

_**Present time (Brian's perspective)**_

I swung my weapon in an arc, cutting another shadow in half. I lost count after about 67. They just kept coming, and I just kept killing. The anger kept building with each shadow slain, but it finally looked like there was a lull in the ranks. I took another swing of the water bottle and then poured the rest over my head and shoulders. My everyday clothes had been torn to shreds by the shadows that got through my guard, and as the water fell down my body and seeped into the many cuts and nicks on my chest and back, I winced slightly. If I stopped now, everything would start hurting, and I'd become a human again. I sensed another wave coming. I threw the bottle to the side and rolled my neck.

"Come on, you monsters! I ain't afraid of you!" The rush began. Dodge. Slice. Weave. Slice. Dodge. Whirl. Splat. Rinse and repeat. "What did that poor child do to deserve being bedridden like that?! She didn't do anything to any of you! Why couldn't you have taken me instead?!" Slice. "Aaaaagghhhh!" A cry of anguish ripped from the back of my throat as a shadow ripped a gash open bigger on my back. I had finally had enough. I stuck my weapon in the ground and screamed out. "Thanatos, heed my call!" I held my palms across from each other before swinging my arms out to my sides. "Thanatos, I've had about enough of this." He nodded to me. "Prepare Megidolaon." A roar from Thanatos. The sound of the air being sliced in two by my weapon. The light was blindingly bright at this point, and I thrust my weapon into the ground directly in front of me. With the force of a very small-scale nuclear reaction, the deadly magic shredded and disintegrated everything in its path.

I was tackled to the ground, and then everything went black. Again.

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_**I apologize if this is a cliffhanger, but I tried to tie up some loose ends. This chapter was fairly difficult to write, simply because I want to put out another chapter, and I want to write more, but I just don't have the time or the energy required sometimes. That being said, I still feel that this will be a strong chapter.**_

_**As always, please I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I humbly request reviews, as they help me gauge your reactions to the material. Constructive criticism is always welcomed, but any rude or disheartening comments will be completely ignored. If you feel the need to leave that type of review, then this work isn't for you.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**So, this chapter is going to be a retrospective, or an origin story, if you will on how Brian adapted to Inaba when he first arrived in early November. Escapades with Kashiwagi and much, much more! **

**This chapter may be a little shorter than the other two, but I'm trying my best to put out a quality story. Please *****ahem***** (pardon the upcoming pun) BEAR with me (ugh…) for a little longer.**

* * *

_**Flash back to 1 November 2011**_

I sat up as my phone began its incessant ringing. I turned off my makeshift alarm, and scratched my face before grabbing my lower back. Futons were comfy, but after coming from America and having a big, fluffy bed, these things killed my back. I made my way to the bathroom where I took care of my business. I caught a look at myself in the mirror after brushing my hair and my teeth. Wavy, dark auburn hair, grey-blue eyes, and a bit of stubble – note to self, I need to buy a razor.

I walked out of the bathroom and got dressed in my new school uniform. It was uncomfortable, to be quite honest. I didn't have to wear a uniform at my old school, and normally I wouldn't be caught dead in clothes like these, but I sucked it up. It was a fresh start. I might even find some new friends. I put my shoes on, and grabbed my beanie hat, putting it on as I stepped out into the cloudy weather that Inaba seemed to get in high frequency.

I reached Yasogami High and stopped at the school gates, staring at it for a little while. I shook my head to attempt to get rid of some anxiety that seemed to be forming, and stepped in. I saw a, well, voluptuous woman waiting in the front lobby. Must be a teacher. When I stepped closer to the shoe cubbies, she sauntered over to me.

"You must be Brian Walker, hmm?" She spoke with a purr, as if she was attempting to seduce me.

I nodded in response. "Yes ma'am. And you are?"

She giggled a bit. "My name is Noriko Kashiwagi, and I'll be your homeroom teacher. I'm here to show you where your cubby is, and then escort you to class. Now come on, cutie," She was definitely turning it on too strong. I wonder if she does this to anyone else.

"Thank you, Kashiwagi-sensei." I responded in turn, and after changing into the appropriate footwear, I followed her up the stairs and to my new classroom. The chatter in the room continued until Kashiwagi sat on her desk and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, class. But we have a new student here starting today. And he is so cute… Anyway, please, be kind to him on his first day. Introduce yourself, will you?" She had her class's attention that was sure. I think they were scared of her.

I stood from where I had been leaning on the wall and walked up to the front of the class. I exhaled before talking. "My name is Brian Walker, and I'm from New Jersey, in the United States."

"I told you he was a cutie, didn't I? Now where to put you… Aha! Hanamura! Raise your hand. Mr. Walker will be sitting next to you." I walked over to my new seat and shrugged my bag off my shoulders. I nodded to the kid who I was sitting next to, and tried my hardest to focus.

Lunchtime came and went, and not a single person was curious about me, no one spoke to me. At least that's what I saw. In reality, many different people had tried to make conversation, and I had just ignored them.

At the end of the day, I made my way out of the classroom and down the stairs to my shoe cubby. I tied my sneakers, and calmly walked out of the building. The walk from Yasogami High to my house wasn't a short one; it took me about a half hour each time to reach my destination. I finally came back to the real world from thinking too hard and heard the calming sound of water running.

The Samegawa Flood Plain…I wasn't sure why, but I felt at peace whenever I walked alongside the river. I wanted to stay here a little longer, so I sat down on the grassy knoll and just zoned out. I thought about how I got here.

"_You're a lazy bum, Brian! All you do is go to school and come home and do nothing but sleep! Where are your friends? Why don't you ever go out and do something?" My parents' incessant rambling was driving me nuts. Every night, it was the same thing, over and over again. It was a cold Saturday night in October. I had finally had enough._

"_You know, for parents, you're not very supportive. I don't have any friends because of the way I look, and because what I believe in is different from everyone else. I get bullied in school constantly, and you wonder why I never want to go out? This home is my only safe haven! Just leave me be, damnit!" The tears were beginning to sting at the corners of my eyes. I rubbed them._

"_You're just making excuses to be lazy. Well, not anymore." My mom dangled a sheet of paper in front of my face, and I snatched it out of her hand. It read: STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM, and my parents had already signed my soul away for it. I'd be moving to Japan permanently. _

I'd just arrived here two days ago, and I had taken the first two days to get use to my surroundings, and clear the jet lag from my head. It was at this time that the clear sky I was gazing at became jet black. A monolith entered my view, and I sat up, and grabbed my bag. "Hey, kid. You don't look like you're from around here. You're a foreigner, ain't you?"

"What's it to ya?" I replied curtly, and made to leave. The three men who were dressed in skuzzy suits had surrounded me. One of them had a microphone in his hand, another had a large boom mic, and the third had a giant video camera.

"We want to do an interview on you, of course! The Transfer Student's Trials and Tribulations: Everyday Life in Inaba for a Transfer Student! Great title, don't you think?" He was pressing forward. I took a small step back – his breath was horrendous.

"I _think_ you need to get out of my face before I make you." I wasn't normally this confrontational, but something seemed very off about these guys. The man with the boom mic stepped closer and I turned to face him. Little did I know that the man with the personal microphone had given the cameraman the signal to start recording. He put the camera right up in my line of vision, and I saw red.

"Come on, man. This story will be great, and you'll be famous! Think about it!" The man with the mic put it near my mouth, and I just exhaled.

"I have thought about it. And I _think_ that if you don't get this mic and this camera," I shoved the camera away with my hand for emphasis, "out of my fuckin' face, I'm going to do it for you! Beat it, you idiots!" All they did was keep badgering me, so I did the first thing that came to mind. I yanked the microphone out of the reporter's hand and threw it into the river. I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and made to throw him in too, but his buddies saved him before I could toss his stupid ass.

"I hope you enjoy your newfound infamy, punk! You never mess with the press, and you'll see why tonight! Your face is gonna be plastered all over the television, and everyone is going to hate your guts!" I scoffed at him, collected my things and walked home.

Curiosity got the better of me that night, regrettably so. I turned on my television as I sat down with a bowl of homemade macaroni and cheese. What I saw made my jaw and food hit the floor. My picture was indeed on the news, and the entire confrontation had been aired. They had compared me to someone named Kanji Tatsumi. They had also listed my entire appearance, and they had every little detail listed too. "The subject of tonight's vignettes is a Caucasian male, around six feet and one inch tall. He has dark red hair that was covered by a black beanie with metal rings in it, and blue eyes. He wore rings on his right middle and fourth fingers, and wore white fingernail polish. He also had several bracelets on both wrists, and a choker necklace with the Star of David hanging from it around his neck."

It was only my third day in Inaba, and only my first day out in public, and I had already managed to make a gigantic mistake. Surely tomorrow would have me end up just like back home.

* * *

**2 November 2011**

I walked to school that morning, and when I reached the gates of Yasogami, I was bombarded with questions. I just pushed my way through the crowd, until it became too much for me to handle and I yelled out, "Yes, I did everything on the news last night! But…" They all left at that point, sneers and sounds of general disgust were directed at me before I could finish what I was saying. "It wasn't my fault…" I gave up and walked up the stairs in my sneakers, completely disregarding the footwear I needed to wear inside the building.

I walked into class, and everyone looked at me. Kashiwagi looked me up and down before speaking. "My my, aren't you the rebel? After last night's performance, I'd think you'd try to be a bit more subtle about your appearance, even though you look hot just the way you are…" She trailed off, and then noticed my bright orange sneakers. "Excuse me, Mr. Walker. You aren't wearing the proper school attire. I kindly suggest you change your shoes before I have to get the school director involved."

I looked at her and smirked. "And I kindly suggest that you button your top up more, and fuck off, unless you want a repeat of last night, _Kashiwagi-sensei._ The school director doesn't need to hear of this either." She walked up to me, gave me a sexy look, put a piece of paper in my breast pocket, and told me to take the day off. "Fine by me, I wasn't feeling like school anyways." As I collected my things, I could hear the various whispers coming from the students around me.

"_That dude has the biggest balls I've ever seen!"_

"_No one has ever stood up to Kashiwagi like that!"_

"_How is he still alive?"_

"_He's pretty hot…"_

Yeah, that last one kinda threw me off. I still snuck out of the building as quickly as I could, and made my way back home. Once I made it home, I opened the piece of paper, and there was a phone number on it. "Kashiwagi gave me her phone number?! I thought she was sexy originally, but now that's borderline pedophilic. Fuck off, Kashiwagi." I tore the paper in two and tossed it into the trash bag when the door bell rang.

I slid open the door and smelt some sort of chemical. My body felt so light, like I was floating. I could barely hear anything, except one thing. "I have to save him, too…"

* * *

_**Monday, November 21, 2011**_

"Who… Who are you?! Why am I here?!" I hollered out in pain. The dull thumping in my head had now become a searing fire desperately attempting to escape from every pore on my body. I wanted to collapse, but the shackles wrapped around my wrists that dangled my body above the cold stone floor prevented that. Another heat wave, another scream. My vision was becoming blurry, and I tried to keep myself from closing my eyes. I knew that would only make things worse. I tried to focus on the figure in front of me.

* * *

**And that'll close this chapter out. Next chapter, Rise and Brian flirt around with each other, and many more hijinks are still to come.**

**Please review, and remember that I'll address any and all constructive criticisms and questions, but if you have something rude to say, I'm only going to ignore it. Thanks again everyone.**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, I'd like to take a short time to apologize for the slower than normal update. I've been REALLY busy the last few weeks; with the semester coming to a close in about a month, and Wrestlemania weekend just passing. My free time isn't that abundant, so again, I apologize.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona franchise. All rights belong to the respective owners of said Intellectual Property.**

* * *

**Tuesday, November 22, 2011 (Brian's perspective)**

I woke up on my ass; leaning against the stand that held the TV we used to go into the Midnight Channel. The Junes was powered down, everything was dark except for a few lights kept on for security purposes. Rise was to my right, and she looked frantic, like she'd seen a ghost or something. Yu was to my left, waving a smelling salt in front of my face. I finally caught a whiff of it, and shoved it out of my way, coughing a bit. _'Damn things always make me wanna hurl…'_ I took a deep breath as I heard sobbing coming from the girl currently clinging to my cut up chest. My bloody chest. _'Aww hell. I completely forgot how bad they got me… That's gonna sting in the morning.' _I ran my fingers through the poor girl's hair, and spoke to her. "Rise-chan, what's wrong? You can talk to me, can't you?"

She sobbed in response. Yu spoke next, and he was pissed. "She was scared to death. We all were. You left the hospital, and no one knew where you were. Teddie couldn't catch your scent, and it was thanks to Rise-chan that we even found you in the first place. What the hell were you thinking, Brian? You'd never been in the TV world of your own volition before! You put yourself, and by virtue, every one of us in danger. What the hell happened?!" Yu was towering over me, a furious look on his face, and Rise wouldn't stop crying. I continued running my fingers through her hair, and I glared up at Yu.

"First off Yu, don't take that tone of voice with me. You may be the leader, and I respect that, but that doesn't give you the right to boss me around. Secondly, What does it look like I was doing? I was training! Your poor cousin Nanako-chan was in the hospital, presumably because of the same idiot that got me, and although I don't know her as well as the rest of you, she doesn't deserve that shit! I went looking for who did it… And I have a hunch that your current suspect ain't the real killer." I looked down at Rise and kissed the crown of her head. I started to speak lowly into her ear. I never realized how much I cared for her in the short span of time that we had known each other. She was purely infectious.

I looked up at Yu, and his posture hadn't changed, nor had the look on his face. I gently removed Rise from my lap and stood up. I walked up to Yu with a scrutinizing look on my face. No change in the ever stoic. We stood at an arms length apart, and I'm pretty sure the rest of the Investigation Team could see the sparks shooting between our eyes. Then, without warning, I saw a punch flying towards my face in what felt like slow motion. I grabbed Yu's wrist and bent it backwards over itself, sweeping his legs out from under him in the process. I pushed away from him and sighed. "You're just like the rest of them. I don't know what kinda scheme you had, but I was in here to get stronger, not to scare anyone, and I get accused and scolded like I'm the fuckin' devil! Go fuck yourself, Yu." I turned on my heel, and walked back to the entrance, where I left Junes. I walked home, and got undressed. I got into my futon, and attempted to sleep.

* * *

**45 minutes ago (Third person perspective)**

Rise had just tackled Brian to the ground, knocking him out in the process while she cried her heart out into his chest. The rest of the team was deliberating on what had just happened. Yosuke was the first to speak. "Dude's a loose cannon! Did you see the damage he was able to do? All those shadows…he killed them all by himself, partner! He may be the ally we need."

"And did you see those moves? He was amazing… I'm almost jealous of Rise-chan!" Chie was practically gushing, and Yosuke just groaned.

"I'm standing right here, Chie-chan…" He hung his head before Chie hugged him quickly, and all was normal again.

"You're right Yosuke… he _is_ a loose cannon. Which makes me wonder if he's truly on our side or not." Yu spoke deliberately, and everyone's jaws dropped when he finished speaking. He couldn't be serious, right? Yu was walking toward Brian when he suddenly stopped and pulled something out of his pocket. He was waving it in front of Brian's face when he got a reaction. He began his diatribe.

Everyone was focused on the interaction between the two, and there was a large, collective gasp when Brian spoke out defiantly against Yu, and Yu made to punch him for it. Brian caught the punch and put Yu on his back in a split second before spitting his parting words out like venom. They stared, jaws hanging, as he walked his way back to the entrance of Junes. They all huddled around Yu, except for Rise, who was just wiping her eyes and recovering from her crying fit.

"Yu-kun, are you ok? Yukiko asked as he stood up, and started swinging his arm around to get feeling in it again. Everyone was bombarding him with questions, except Rise, who was also just standing up.

"I'm fine, Yuki-chan. Just relax, ok?" A quick hug from Yu soothed Yukiko's fears. It was then that the group noticed that something was wrong. They were missing someone in the huddle/group hug. "Rise-chan, what's the matter?"

She looked up at him with fire in her eyes. "You have no idea what you just did, do you, senpai?" He shook his head and replied.

"I figured I'd stop by and apologize after we all left here-" He was cut off by Rise.

"And what makes you think he'll want to hear what you have to say, senpai? You just did to him what everyone else did! I agree, he shouldn't have come here without notifying us or without us, but his intentions were good, and you made it seem like he was the bad guy! I can't believe you, senpai! I thought you were different…" And with that she ran the same way Brian did. She headed for his house, and she'd be damned if she was just going to let him feel the way he did.

"I… I really messed up as a leader, didn't I?" Yu hung his head as everyone put their hands on his shoulders.

"Yeah…" They all agreed that he had screwed up.

"We need to apologize to him… Tomorrow at lunch? I think Rise'll be able to help us more than we know. We should just let things run their course for tonight, and we'll deal with it tomorrow." They all headed home for the night, leaving a very distressed boy, and a very upset girl to their own devices.

* * *

**45 minutes later (Brian's perspective)**

All of a sudden, there was a loud, rhythmic banging on my door. I looked at my phone – 11:45 PM. "I'll just let it be…." More banging, seemingly more urgent than before. "Alright, alright! I'm comin', jeez! Keep your fuckin' pants on…" I threw on a pair of shorts, and a spare t-shirt before making my way to the front door. The banging never stopped. "I said I'm coming!" I opened the door, and was immediately tackled to the ground by a crying girl. The back of my head hit the wooden floor, and I saw stars, then I noticed who it was. "Rise-chan, what's the matter?"

"What's the matter? Do you have any idea how worried I was about you, you knucklehead? Well, do you?!" Cue the sobbing again. I really hoped this wasn't going to becoming a regular thing. I picked her up bridal style and walked over to the couch where I sat down. I figured it'd be better than on the wooden floor. Then I got a good look at her face. She was beet red. I put the back of my hand up to her forehead, and could tell immediately that she had made herself sick.

"Rise-chan, you have a fever. Stay here, you hear me?" She nodded and I gently put her down on the couch. I grabbed a blanket from a chest, and covered her with it. Next on the mental checklist was to grab a pillow to prop her head up on, and a cool, wet washcloth to put on her forehead. I returned back to the couch as quickly as possible, putting the pillow behind her head, and the washcloth on her forehead. I didn't understand exactly what had happened, but as I thought about it, I wasn't feeling so good either. Maybe the TV world was poisoning us? I was thinking about the dilemma when I heard something soft.

"Brian-kun… Don't leave me… Please, don't leave me…" She was mumbling in her sleep. I reached up and brushed her hair behind her ear. Her eyes cracked open, and she looked me dead in the eye before saying; "I'm cold, Brian-kun… please… sleep next to me?" That got me. I blushed harder than I ever had, and began to stutter. I gave up and realized that this was as close as I'd probably ever get to female contact in my life, and she was really sick. If this would help her, I'd do whatever I could.

"Rise-chan, I'm not gonna leave you. But if you really want me to sleep next to you, I've gotta move you to the…futon…" She nodded slightly, and I picked her up as slowly as I could. "I need you to hold onto the pillow and the washcloth, ok?" Another nod. I made my way up the stairs, and put her in the futon, laying the pillow beneath her head again. I dampened the cloth again, and put it on her forehead before kneeling down and getting into the futon next to her. I felt her move closer to me, and wrap my arms around her waist.

"Please, just stay with me tonight, Brian-kun…I don't feel good." I kissed the crown of her head, and replied softly.

"I'm not going anywhere, Rise-chan. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

**Wednesday, 23 November 2011**

Light started to burn my eyes as I slowly woke up. I blinked a few times, and rubbed my eyes to get the nasty stuff out of the creases. After about 2 minutes of procrastinating, I noticed I was on my back, and I tried to get up, but there was something keeping me from doing so. I raised the covers up, and noticed Rise sleeping on my chest, a tiny amount of drool pooling from the corner of her lips. I also noticed that my usual morning issue had arisen, and… This spelled trouble, didn't it?

"Mmmm…" Rise let out a small moan, and licked her lips. When she looked at me, I threw my head back in frustration, and groaned. She giggled. Yeah, I was definitely fucked.

* * *

**So, I'd just like to say that writing this was very difficult without a muse. I feel bad for making you guys who like this wait, and I'm very sorry. I'll try to keep consistent for you.**

**Please review, and remember that I'll address any and all constructive criticisms and questions, but if you have something rude to say, I'm only going to ignore it. Thanks again everyone.**


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